DRC President Félix Tshisekedi and Republic of Congo leader Denis Sassou Nguesso have reaffirmed close ties after an incident involving forces from both countries…reports Africa Daily News Desk
Democratic Republic of the Congo President Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo held talks with Republic of the Congo President Denis Sassou Nguesso in Brazzaville on Saturday, October 3, amid efforts to strengthen bilateral relations. The two leaders discussed an incident in Makotipoko involving members of the armed forces of the two countries and reaffirmed their commitment to good-neighbourly relations.
Several issues were addressed during the meeting, including the incident in Makotipoko, a locality in the Republic of the Congo near Yumbi in western DRC’s Maï-Ndombe province.
The two presidents stressed the importance of preserving the fraternal ties between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo.
Tshisekedi sought to ease tensions surrounding the incident and emphasised the close cultural and historical links between the populations on both sides of the Congo River.
“I brought with me in my entourage the Ministers of the Interior and Defense so that they can see together how to avoid this kind of mishap in the future. We are one and the same people, we have the same culture. We are called to live together,” Tshisekedi said.
The DRC president also announced plans to meet victims of the incident in the near future and begin a process for their compensation.
The meeting also covered the security and humanitarian situation in eastern DRC. The two leaders called for strict adherence to the Washington Accords as part of efforts to address the security situation.
The talks in Brazzaville come as the neighbouring countries seek to maintain close relations and prevent incidents along their shared border from escalating into wider tensions.
